data-leakage-prevention

Education Sector Updates
I. Background of Data Leakage Prevention
Data leakage refers to unauthorised transmission of data from within an
organisation to an external destination or recipient. The transmission can be
done both electronically and physically and the types of data leaked usually
include:
 Confidential / Sensitive Information
 Intellectual property
 Customer / Student Data
 Health Records
Given today’s strict regulatory and legal compliance requirement on intellectual
and personal data protection, organisations, including universities, have invested
a great deal of time and resources in safeguarding their information from
potential unauthorised access and disclosure. Security vendors and researchers
also developed various counter measures to fight against data leakage issues,
which are collectively known as Data Leakage Prevention (DLP) solutions. A key
distinguishing feature of DLP that contrasts with non-DLP security tools, such
as data encryption, is deep content analysis based on pre-defined security
policies.
In general, DLP refers to any systems or tools that identify, monitor, and protect
the following type of data:
 Data in Motion – Any data that is moving through the network to the
outside via the Internet. This feature applies to all data transmitted on wire
or wirelessly. E.g. Examination results sent to students over the Internet.
 Data in Use – Data at the endpoints of the network (e.g. data on USB
devices, external drivers, MP3 players, laptops, and other highly-mobile
devices). E.g. Patent information stored on portable hard disks.
 Data at Rest – Data that resides in files system, databases and other
storage methods. E.g. A university’s financial data stored on the financial
application server.
In response to the above types of data having exposure to potential leakage
problem, specific DLP systems / tools have been engineered to mitigate the
risks or detect any security violations:
Data Leakage Prevention
A newsletter for IT Professionals
Issue 5
Reference:
http://www.getadvanced.net/pdfs/SANS%20Institute%20Data_Loss_Prevention.pdf
KPMG Publication – Data Leakage Prevention

I. Background of Data Leakage Prevention (cont’d)
1 Network DLP
Network DLP is designed to detect any leakage incidents related to data in
motion, by detecting if particular important data files are being transferred
through universities’ networks. This kind of DLP devices usually supports
multiple protocols such as HTTP, FTP, P2P and SMTP, and is commonly
attached to network equipments (e.g. routers, switches), where all traffic
leaving universities’ internal network can be captured for inspection.
Nowadays, most universities have already implemented certain network
traffic filtering systems, such as e-mail and web activity monitoring
programs, which can achieve part of the functionalities of Network DLP.
Some more specialised Network DLP tools include McAfee Network DLP
Manager, RSA DLP Network, and Symantec Data Loss Prevention Network
series.
2 Endpoint DLP
Endpoint DLP products are agents or software that usually reside on end
user terminals such as mobile devices and laptops. The common use of
Endpoint DLP is to prevent users from storing sensitive information on
removable media devices such as USB flash drives and CD/ROM discs and
to protect against unauthorised transmission of sensitive information when
a user is not connected the universities’ own networks (e.g. public free Wi-
Fi spot). An Endpoint DLP software can also utilise disk encryption, which
prevents unauthorsied access to information on a lost or stolen laptop.
Popular Endpoint DLP products currently on the market include NextLabs
Enterprise DLP, Symantec Protection Suite Enterprise and McAfee Host
Data Loss Prevention.
3 Embedded DLP
Universities are also given a less expensive choice to implement “partial”
DLP solutions instead of setting up a comprehensive data leakage
management infrastructure. Such solutions are commonly known as
Embedded DLP.
Embedded DLP are planted within specific applications to effectively
monitor the data outflows, identify keywords or related patterns belong to
sensitive information and block any suspicious data leakage attempts. For
instances, scanning and rejecting outgoing e-mails for sensitive keywords or
attachments, restricting printing of copyrighted softcopy documents.
The design and implementation of Embedded DLP can be performed within
Universities or acquired from existing security vendors. Cisco’s IronPort e-
mail security technology provides functionalities to detect sensitive content,
patterns or images in a message body or within attachments. Websense
Web Security Gateway Solutions incorporated Websense TruWeb DLP
capability offers embedded DLP over outbound communications to
destinations like web mail and social networks.
Reference:
http://www.ironport.com/technology/
http://investor.websense.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=466193
KPMG Publication – Data Leakage Prevention

I. Background of Data Leakage Prevention (cont’d)
Key Benefits Achieved through Data Leakage Prevention
 Prevent Data Leakage – Preventing accidental or malicious loss of data by
insiders (e.g. employees, students and contractors) or outsiders (e.g.
hackers) is the main purpose of all DLP solutions. With appropriate
implemented DLP mechanism, universities’ can control the access to their
sensitive data by external parties.
 Reduce Cost of Investigation and Damage to Reputation – Leakage of
sensitive data of universities usually means economic loss or damage to the
reputation. Implementing DLP solutions within universities’ network or
information systems can put control over the outflow of sensitive data and
thus effectively reduce the risk of unauthorised disclosure. In case when
data leakage incidents do occur, DLP tools or software can also assist the
investigation by providing useful information on system activity history.
 Facilitate Early Risk Detection and Mitigation – DLP solutions require
universities to perform a series of preparation work, including data
classification, risk assessment, research on regulatory and privacy
requirement, development of policies, standards and procedures for data
protection, through which a number of around vulnerabilities of data leakage
can be noticed within management radar and makes early mitigation
possible.
 Increase Comfort Level of Senior Management – Data leakage is one of
the most critical issues facing universities’ senior management because
various sensitive data is stored and processed by universities’ information
systems, such as student / employee records, confidential research data
and patent. Universities must properly secure such information to comply
with regulatory and legal requirement, maintain competitive advantage and
protect their reputation. Where DLP controls are implemented and operating
effectively, senior management is able to concentrate on other critical
issues.
Statistical Report
Data leakage prevention growing 10 percent annually
According to a recent report from Network World, data leakage prevention is
currently growing at 10 percent a year. While this figure is lower than what
many experts anticipated, it still represents one of the better percentages
among security technologies. Companies looking to remain compliant with
regulatory authorities requirements have been fuelling the increase in the
technology's adoption.
See the article:
(http://www.messagingarchitects.com/resources/security-compliance-
news/email-security/report-data-leak-prevention-growing-10-percent-annually-
19920447.html)
Reference:
http://www.foundstone.com/us/resources/whitepapers/wp_dlp_program.pdf

II. Risk of Data Leakage Prevention in Universities
Implementation of DLP solutions encompasses a variety of complex IT areas
such as data classification, risk assessment, compilation of policies, standards
and procedures. If not designed and managed adequately, DLP solutions can
result in a number of risks to universities. Many of these risks can directly
impact universities’ normal operations or expose them to even greater threats.
Examples of these risks are listed below.
1 Excessive Reporting and False Positives
Similar to an improperly configured Intrusion Detection System (IDS), DLP
solutions may generate significant number of false positives that overwhelm
universities’ IT security resources and obscure valid hits. Trying to monitor
too much data volume or too many keywords / data patterns can easily
exhaust limited resources.
2 Conflicts with Software or System Performance
DLP solutions, especially those Endpoint DLP products, can cause
compatibility issues when conflicting with other systems and software. For
example, some application software cannot run properly on encrypted hard
drive. Applications errors or performance degradation are two common
results of such conflicts. In worst case, the compatibility issues may cause
the abnormal termination of other security controls and expose universities’
information system to even great risks.
3 Improperly Configured Network DLP Module
When a Network DLP is not able to handle the amount of network traffic,
due to insufficient consideration of traffic volume during the design stage or
increased network traffic over time, some network packets may be missed
or dropped, allowing certain data to pass uninspected. It may render
Network DLP ineffective when unauthorised transmission of sensitive data
to external parties is ignored.
4 Improperly Tuned Network DLP Module
Universities must pay particular attention to strike a balance between
permitted and prohibited disclosure of sensitive data. Otherwise, inadequate
tuned Network DLP solutions may cause disruption of universities’
operation, waste of staff or students’ time, damage to relationship with
external parties such as contractors and general public. E.g. Blocking
employees sending sensitive data to authorised external parties; disrupting
normal e-mail services used by universities.
5 Changes in Processes or IT Infrastructure
DLP solutions are complex in nature and must be carefully configured or
customised to cope with universities information system and network
environment. If DLP is not maintained regularly and timely, any changes to
the set of application software used, network architectures or the
operational procedures may weaken the DLP effectiveness or introduce
other problems like compatibility issues, and disruption of operation.
Reference:
http://www.isaca.org/Knowledge-Center/Research/Documents/DLP-WP-14Sept2010-Research.pdf

II. Risk of Data Leakage Prevention in Universities
(cont’d)
6 Improper Definition of DLP Needs
DLP solutions can only be effective based on accurate and comprehensive
DLP policies. If universities failed to address all potential vectors for data
leakage (e.g. identification of sensitive data and required protection level,
determination of acceptable use of information resources, relevant
regulatory and legal requirements), the DLP tools are either ineffective or
has incomplete coverage of all data leakage risks the universities face.
7 Undetected Failure of DLP Modules
Like other application software or systems, DLP solutions rely on
technologies implemented over software and hardware infrastructure.
Failures of software or hardware often draw less attention from universities
IT personnel. Program bug, power failure, environmental hazards may strike
the infrastructures that support DLP functions. If the failures go unattended,
universities will be completely exposed to data leakage risks.
8 Legal
When universities adopt DLP solutions that monitor the activities performed
by their employees, students and contractors, one of the issues they
encounter is whether deploying DLP will conflict with legal or employee
agreements that protect privacy. Without establishing appropriate policies,
disclaimers and agreements to address the necessity and purpose of data
monitoring, legal proceedings may be launched against the universities.
Recent Incident
HSBC fined over US$5 million for data security failings
In July 2009, HSBC has received an almost £3.2 million fine from UK's
Financial Services Authority (FSA) after three of its firms lost computer discs
and posted unencrypted customer details. The UK's biggest bank was fined
for the "careless" handling and loss of confidential details of tens of
thousands of its customers. In a series of security failings, the bank sent
large amounts of "unencrypted" data via post or courier to third parties.
HSBC has taken remedial action to address the problems that FSA
identified, including stronger processes to ensure all confidential data that is
electronically transmitted or stored and transported on CDs and laptops is
encrypted, better training for staff and restricting the ability to download
data to portable devices.
See the article: (http://www.cw.com.hk/content/hsbc-fined-over-us5-million-
data-security-failings)
Reference:
https://365.rsaconference.com/docs/DOC-2174;jsessionid=9C450C7061C6E3814B21538423A222DB.node0

III. Exploitation on Data Leakage
Data leakage can be caused by internal and external parties, either intentionally
or accidentally. According to INFOWATCH’s “Global Data Leakage Report
2009”, 51% of data leakages were resulted from intentional attacks and 43%
leakages were due to accidental events, which indicates a strong increase of
intentional leakages when comparing to 2007’s figures (i.e. 29% intentional and
71% accidental). Several intentional exploitations on data leakage are illustrated
below:
1 Code Injection
Poor programming of information systems and applications can leave
universities exposed to various code injection attacks, or allow inappropriate
information to be retrieved in legitimate database queries.
Structured Query Language (SQL) injection is one of the most common
attack techniques for applications or websites that use SQL servers as back-
end database. If the applications or websites failed to correctly parse user
input and sanitise user input, the content within the database may be stolen
or program errors may occur and interrupt the relevant services.
2 Malware
Malware is designed to secretly access a computer system without owner’s
informed consent. Sophisticated data-stealing malware may take various
forms including Trojan, spyware, key loggers, screen scrappers, adware,
and backdoors. Users are usually infected during installation of other
application software bundled with malware or from malicious web sites.
Examples of data-stealing malware are Bancos (steal sensitive banking
information) and LegMir (steal personal information such as account name
and passwords).
3 Phishing
Another data leakage channel is through the use of phishing sites as a lure
to steal sensitive data from users. Phishing spam can be sent to staff or
students’ e-mail address. Once they are fooled to click the links in the
malicious e-mails, their browsers can be re-directed to fraudulent websites
that mimic reputable organisations, where users may unnoticeably leak their
account name and passwords to hackers. If the login credential to a
university’s web mail system is leaked, the hacker can authenticate himself
or herself as university member and gain full access to any sensitive
information stored within the e-mail system. It is also possible that the
phishing spam received directs users to a site that uploads malware to their
computers.
4 Malicious Insider
Universities’ sensitive data are also vulnerable to intentional data leakage
performed by their internal users (e.g. employees, students). Motivations
are varied, but usually fall into corporate espionage, financial interest, or a
grievance with their employers. Sensitive data can be unauthorisedly
transferred out through remote access, e-mail, instant messaging or FTP.
Even if DLP solutions have been deployed within universities, these
malicious insiders, especially IT personnel, can bypass the restrictions
through sabotage DLP systems. E.g. altering the DLP configuration to
create backdoor; shutdown DLP services; physically cut off the power
supply; de-classify sensitive data.
Reference:
http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/awareness/data-leakage-threats-mitigation_1931
http://www.infosec.gov.hk/english/anti/recent.html
http://prolog.biz/presse/infowatch/artikel/infowatch_global_data_leakage_report_2009_eng.pdf
JUCC Newsletter for General – Data Leakage Prevention

IV. Hardening Steps for Data Leakage Prevention –
Preparation
A comprehensive DLP solution that protects data in motion, data at rest and
data in user require complex and significant amount of preparation activities.
Among these activities, data classification, risk assessment and policy
development are the most critical ones and involve both the commitment from
senior management and IT security personnel in universities.
1 Risk Assessment
The main purpose for a risk assessment is to identify all types of data within
the universities and the associated threats and vulnerabilities. Key
stakeholders from different parties should be gathered together to discuss
and reach agreements on topics including, but not limited to, the following:
 What data should be protected? E.g. Internal, Confidential, Highly
Confidential
 What applications or infrastructure should be covered by DLP?
 What regulatory and legal requirement we need to comply with?
 Who are the authorised personnel that can receive data from us?
 What is the reporting and workflow of DLP solutions?
 What are the expected accuracy rates for different kinds of data? E.g.
statistical / conceptual analysis or partial database matching?
2 Data Classification
Data classification helps to categorise data based on the value to
universities and add additional controls to limit the access and movements
of sensitive data. Proper data classification allows universities to determine
the order of protection for different types of data and focus DLP capabilities
on information with higher priorities. A typical data classification should
include the following:
 Develop a standard or policy for data classification
 Identify data type by departments
 Identify administrator/custodian/users for each data type
 Identify systems maintaining, processing, or storing each data type
 Specify the criteria of how the data will be classified and labelled
 Create an user awareness program
3 Develop Policies, Standards and Procedures
Comprehensive policies, standards, and procedures are the basis for an
effective DLP solution. By referencing to established policies, standards,
and procedures, the following criteria can be defined for DLP tools to meet:
 Target data classification(s) that require protection from DLP
 What actions are permitted to be performed on such data
 What are the security violations that require DLP to prevent and alert
 What are the handling processes for identified violations
 Whom should be informed when there are security violations identified
Developed policies, standards, and procedures should be reviewed and
approved by management of relevant parties before finalisation.
Reference:
http://www.ironport.com/pdf/ironport_dlp_booklet.pdf

V. Hardening Steps for Data Leakage Prevention —
Implementation
A comprehensive DLP solution is usually a combination of Network DLP,
Endpoint DLP, Embedded DLP components and employee training program.
The following addressed several techniques / processes to mitigate the data
leakage threats:
1 Secure Content Management
This technique is often used by Network DLP to analyse the traffic passing
through a specific gateway within a university. It examines the content of
the messages and looks for specific keywords, patterns or fingerprinting
(i.e. hashing of data at rest) that may belong to sensitive data. Examples are:
 Keywords include “Confidential”, “Restricted”, “Internal Only”
 Regular expressions that match with specified data format, e.g. 1
character following by 7-digit sequence could indicate Hong Kong
identification card number
 Outbound files that match with the stored data fingerprints (i.e. hash
numbers)
2 Embedded DLP in Applications
Many application software are embedded with DLP functionalities to
provide first-tier protection against unauthorised access, copy and printing of
sensitive information. Several frequently used applications are listed below:
 For Microsoft Office users, they should enable password protection for
confidential documents or spreadsheets through “Save As > Tools >
General Options > Password to Open”
 For Adobe Acrobat users, they can go to “Advanced > Security >
Encrypt with Password”
 For Microsoft Access users, they can activate password encryption by
going to “Database Tool” tab and click “Encrypt with Password”
3 Thin Client
Universities can consider implementing disk-less thin clients as an Endpoint
DLP solution to ensure that only necessary data needed by the users to do
their jobs is released to them. Disable or removal of USB from the thin
clients will also prevent users from copying sensitive data to removable
media. Major vendors for thin client solutions include IBM, HP and SUN,
Wyse Technology and NComputing.
4 Restriction on Removable Media
To prevent data from being copied to removable media like CD, DVD,
portable hard drive and USB stick, universities should establish
corresponding policy or standards, stating that only authorised personnel are
allowed to do so. By default, all computers and laptops should have their
CD/DVD writers and USB ports removed or disabled. For laptops from
which the CD/DVD writers cannot be removed, universities should uninstall
relevant drivers and software for CD/DVD burning, and monitor whether
unauthorised installation of burning tools by users.
Reference:

Reference:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/secursw/ps5299/products_white_paper09186a00800a4b36.shtml
JUCC Newsletter for General – Data Leakage Prevention
V. Hardening Steps for Data Leakage Prevention —
Implementation (cont’d)
5 Application Proxy Firewalls
Unlike stateful firewalls that only examine transport and network layers,
application proxy firewalls work on all 7 layers of the OSI model. They strip
down the network traffic and re-assemble it again, analyse specific
commands or payloads carried by the packets. For examples, a university
may configure its application proxy firewall to filter FTP commands
“APPEND”, “MKDIR” and “PUT” in order to prevent uploading of sensitive
data through FTP programs. The university can also utilise the keyword
searching function to examine outgoing e-mails and reject any e-mails
containing keywords, regular expressions or patterns of data possibly
classified as internal, restricted or confidential.
6 Secured Data Transmission via Internet
Secured method should also be implemented by universities when sensitive
data is required to be transmitted over the Internet or to be accessed
remotely by authorised external parties. A popular means is to deploy Virtual
Private Network (VPN) with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) capability, which
creates a virtual “tunnel” connecting two endpoints and the network traffic
traverse through the “tunnel” is encrypted. One popular VPN product is
Cisco Easy VPN, which provides various VPN solutions for small/medium
organisations to large enterprise.
7 Training and Awareness
As almost half of the data leakages are accidental because of human
negligence, it is critical for universities’ members to have a strong
awareness of the acceptable use of information resources and necessary
preventive measures towards data leakage threats and vulnerabilities. The
awareness training should typically include the following topics:
 Classification and Handling of Universities Information Asset --
before implementing DLP, users must know how to distinguish
sensitive data and the respective protection required.
 Risks and Consequences of Data Leakage – Users should be aware of
the risks and serious consequences of leaking sensitive data to
unauthorised parties. Examples on loss of patent secrets or loss of
personal privacy data are recommended to be used during the training.
 Policies and Procedures for DLP – In this section, users are informed
of the policies and procedures established by the universities to enforce
DLP. The major components include DLP techniques, useful tools
approved by the universities, DOs & DON’Ts, reporting and escalation of
data leakage incidents.

VII. Summary
The development of networking and mobile computing technologies has posed
serious threats to the data security of organisations including universities. As
the capabilities of data transmission and storage are being continuously
improved nowadays, data leakage incidents may result in more significant
damages, diminishing organisations’ value and reputations.
In developing DLP solutions, management should consider all types of data (i.e.
data in motion, data at rest and data in use) and work closely with IT
professionals and general users to determine the user requirements and
suitable DLP products.
A comprehensive and effective DLP solution requires the commitment from
both the management and general users to carefully determine the system
specifications, functional requirements and data coverage, so that the solution
can best fit in the university’s existing IT infrastructure and operational process
and would not introduce inefficiencies and incompatibilities.
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